Newsletter Volume 1: No 2 www.bulamuhealthcare.org September 2016

The Bulamu team assembles before the camp begins.

Bulamu Healthcare International’s Second

Medical Camp — A Second Success

Improvements Made, Opportunities to Further Improve

Abound

Sunday, August 14, 2016 was the first full day of an upgraded six-day medical

camp using the Mpumudde government health facility located in Jinja, about 50

miles east of Kampala, Uganda. We expected to treat 2,200-2,400 patients,

provide education and training to patients and their families, and again foster

cooperation and skills exchange among the volunteer and paid local medical

staff recruited by Bulamu.

Initial set-up began the eve of August 13, with leaders from Bulamu, Peace

Corps, and district health officials meeting, and beginning the physical layout

and assignments of personnel. Bright and early the next day, we began

orientation for the entire team: 10 medical doctors, 21 registered nurses, and

24 Administration and Support Staff; 13 of which were volunteers.

We added this mandatory orientation day for ALL participants to improve work

flows and communication, review the camp schedule, and set up triage teams,

vital signs' work stations, and medical treatment. Gerald Atwine, our Co-

Founder and Camp Director reviewed our new Code of Condcut, and handed

out copies.

Sections of the Bulamu procedures and standards manual were explained and

discussed. Simple contracts were executed with each paid medical professional.

A timekeeper was identified, and hours worked were tracked for all paid staff

during the week. This dramatically improved on-time attendance and discipline.

The “kinks” we experienced in Camp 1 were significantly reduced. By noon of our

first day treating patients, we were at peak efficiency.

We began registration, triage, vital sign recording, and treatment at 8 AM on

August 15, and continued for 6-7 hours each day thru August 19 (5 days) treating

2,856 patients. All patients that registered were treated before we closed the

camp and began assessment of patient treatment, outcomes, and identifying

issues.

Our final expense numbers are not

yet complete, but per patient

treatment cost is significantly below

our goal of $10, maybe under

$8! We again provided screenings,

treatment, and associated education

for cervical cancer as two of our

medical doctors were gynecologists.

To add some excitement, one

woman went into labor with highly

elevated blood pressure. She was

accompanied to the hospital for

monitoring and delivery-mother and

baby were both reportedly doing well.

Most of the other diagnoses followed the pattern of our previous camp, infections,

wounds, and dehydration in children, etc. However, there was a marked increase

in those suffering from multiple “jiggers” bites, a flea that infects 2,000 species of

mammals, and can easily be passed onto humans living in close proximity to their

normal hosts. Itching was treated with antihistamines or hydrocortisone but

eliminating the fleas from hosts and living areas requires dedicated washing and

spraying of insecticides, and improved personal hygiene.

Our medical and healthcare volunteers from the US Peace Corps were again

terrific-highly motivated, well trained, and experienced in dealing with the local

population. Most were impressed with Bulamu’s performance, as was the staff of

the Mpumudde health facility. We are now assessing our ability to provide even

higher quality medical diagnosis and on-going care by working with a single facility

and their staffs in the future-possibly exclusively. These two groups were

instrumental in the quality and quantity of the care we were able to deliver.

MORE PHOTOS

To see more photos of our medical camp at Buwambo CLICK HERE.

QUICK STATS

2,856 patients treated

11 U.S. Peace Corp Volunteers

32 Ugandan Medical Personnel

> $7,000 spent on prescription drugs and medicines

< $8 per patient for treatment

A little bit about Jinja; it is referred to as the source of the river Nile. It is home

to Bujagali Falls, known for white water rafting and Bungee jumping. Several

of our volunteers participated in both activities; we are pleased to report that

there were no accidents or medical treatment required :-)

VOLUNTEER PROFILE: Shambe Mutungi, M.D.

“I attended Bulamu Camp 2 in August

2016, expecting the camp would help

many people during our 6-day stay, but

the actual numbers were

overwhelming, from both the standpoint

of demand and Bulamu’s ability to

effectively deliver medical services

each day,” writes Shambe, a Canadian

medical doctor completing her

residency training in OBGYN at the

University of Toronto. She was one of two medical doctor volunteers for Camp 2,

the other a more experienced OBGYN from the U.S. Peace Corps, Dr. Sandra

Lovell.

Shambe is Ugandan-born, but raised in Canada. This was her first visit to Uganda

as a medical professional; the status of women’s healthcare left her shocked.

“Women die every day from issues we solved in Canada decades ago. I find this

unacceptable. One of my career goals entails being active in learning and working

hard to stop this gap from widening.”

“The days started early and ended late but the

fatigue did not outweigh the feeling of knowing you

might be making a difference. I was part of the

cervical cancer screening team and was surprised

and ecstatic to see the number of women and young

girls requesting screening. I was excited to advance

my own education, having learned for the first time

how to do acetic acid screening and cryotherapy

treatments. I hope to lead a “screen and treat” team

at one of Bulamu’s 2017 camps, and be able to pass

my knowledge and experience onto others.”

“I cherished the opportunity to work side-by-side with

local healthcare personnel and volunteers. Their

input was invaluable, their kindness palpable and my hope is that our time spent

there was not only beneficial to patients but to our Ugandan colleagues as well.”

“If Bulamu could acquire a LEEP gun, some of the women who could not be

treated with cryotherapy can have a LEEP treatment done on the spot, instead of

having to be referred to the local hospital. Bulamu, in turn, would need a trained

gynecologist to perform this additional treatment.”

“I thought Bulamu was very well organized and prepared to serve the number of

people the camp attracted. I was impressed by the pre-planning that must have

taken place in order to inventory all of the supplies and organize a diverse group

of staff and volunteers into effective work teams.”

Vicki Mui, Bulamu’s Cervical Cancer Pioneer

Dr. Victoria Mui and Bulamu Healthcare International

were introduced to one another at Bulamu’s first

medical camp in the Spring of 2016. At that time,

Vicky was completing her one-year assignment with

the US Peace Corps, and would return to the US

before Bulamu’s second camp. However, Vicky has

made a lasting contribution to Bulamu’s effort to bring

free treatment for cervical cancer to the women of

rural Uganda.

Vicki’s gentle and professional approach made patients feel more comfortable

with the sensitive screening process, and follow-on treatment for those with a

positive diagnosis. What had been an after-thought in our first camp became a

major undertaking with nearly 200 women screened, and becoming a feature of all

future camps!

“I am so glad that my efforts have led to the successful implementation of cervical

cancer screening by Bulamu as a regular preventative offering. My personal

efforts to stem the address cervical cancer in Uganda can and will continue.”

“I hope that Bulamu can someday generate the funding to acquire a LEEP device.

It would allow a more complete and effective treatment of patients.” Bulamu has

been able to procure a second cryo-gun device for freezing (and killing) existing

pre-cancerous cells.

“Working with Bulamu’s co-founder, Gerald Atwine, was a treat. His tireless

energy and sense of humor served us well in the semi-chaos of a medical camp

treating 450 patients a day on a budget of less than $10 per patient. Bulamu’s

ability to improve the quality of medical care in this environment will no doubt

improve with experience. Yet I give them high marks already for the sensitive and

generous nature of the care they provide their patients.

Reflecting on her experiences in Uganda, “I felt privileged to support an

underserved population, and challenged by the lack of resources. I was deeply

inspired by my Peace Corps experience, and my co-workers. My participation in

the Bulamu camp was a highlight of my stay, giving me the opportunity to directly

attack cervical cancer. I am grateful to continue to work with Bulamu to continue a

lasting impact on women’s health in Uganda.”

Simon Kinobe Agrees to Represent Bulamu

Healthcare in Uganda

With only a part-time presence

in Uganda before, during, and

after one of our medical

camps, it has proven difficult to

handle issues that arise on an

ad hoc basis, as well as

represent ourselves in

business opportunities that

require codification or official documentation.

Bulamu is pleased to announce that Simon Kinobe, a Senior Partner of KMT

Advocates has agreed to represent Bulamu, initially on a pro bono basis. Simon

has practiced for 14 years in the fields of civil litigation, corporate and commercial

law. He has taught Law at University, and is a member of the Uganda Law

Society and the East African Law Society.

Simon explains that, “Our undertaking to partner with Bulamu Healthcare

International is aimed towards fulfilling our desire and obligation to give back to

society. We hope that in the future, as KMT Advocates’ business grows, we shall

not only be able to provide legal advice but to support Bulamu with resources

necessary to further its mission of providing free primary medical care to the rural

poor in Uganda.”

Gerald Atwine, Bulamu International’s co-founder and Board Chair, responded, “I

have known Simon for several years. Simon and his firm have an excellent

reputation for effectively dealing with legal matters, and providing guidance and

counsel when interacting with clients. Bulamu looks forward to working with KMT

Advocates as we build our organization, impact, and brand in Uganda.”

Our Bulamu

Team again wants to

thank all of its donors for

the support they have

given this undertaking. We

couldn’t have done it

without you! We are

striving to become more

effective and efficient, and

provide incrementally

better medical care and

service. We are fast

learners, but we have

found we have a lot to

learn.

With your continued

support, we will succeed in providing more poor, rural Ugandans with quality

medical care!

We all can make a difference!

Thank you!

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